Page 29 of Then Came You

“Sam likes to fish, and he wants me to try it.”

Lauren’s eyes went wide. “You eat fish, but you don’t fish for fish!”

“I know, but he made it sound kind of…”

“Fun?”

“Yeah.”

Lauren sat back in her chair with a funny look on her face.

“What?”

“That’s a good sign.”

“What is?”

“You’re getting back out there. You went on one date, and now you’re considering another. I’m proud of you.”

Gillian shook her head. “The dog park can hardly be considered a date. We both had to pick up poop!”

Lauren laughed. “It was still a date.”

“And fishing isn’t a date either. It’s fishing.”

“When a man and woman do an activity together and they’re attracted to each other, that’s considered a date.”

“I never said I was attracted to him.”

Lauren leaned forward and rested her chin on her folded hands. “How long have we known each other?”

Gillian pretended to think about it. “Um…seven years.”

“After seven years, I feel qualified to say that you’re attracted to Officer Nichols.”

Gillian glanced around to make sure nobody had heard. “Lower your voice!”

“I will if you admit that you find him attractive.”

Gillian sighed, knowing there was no way to win this battle. “Fine. I admit it. He’s a handsome man, but that doesn’t mean anything. There are a lot of handsome men in the world. Case in point, your friend Elliot.”

“Way to change the subject.”

“Let’s talk about Elliot, shall we?”

“He’s just a friend.”

“I beg to differ.”

“He’s dating someone.”

“You don’t sound very happy about it. If he’s your friend, shouldn’t you be happy for him?”

Then the shrill sound of a police siren shattered the air, and Gillian immediately turned toward the direction of the sound. She saw the cruiser coming up Main Street and expected it to whizz on by. Instead, the car made a sharp left turn into an empty parking space in front of A Latte Books.

She hadn’t gotten a good look at the driver, but when he stepped out of the car with his back to her, she immediately knew who it was.

She and Lauren stood up, looked both ways, and then ran across the street. They’d left their half-eaten lunches sitting on the table, but Gillian knew the owner, and she’d go back later and explain.